It’s almost 10 pm and the sun is setting on another gorgeous July day. The sky is a delicious blend of burnt oranges, pinks and corals: red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Tomorrow looks promising then. Through the still-open window I can hear the faint and exotic sounds of a bamboo wind chime in a neighbour’s tree, gently animated by a cooling breeze. Muted conversation and laughter is carried on the air from nearby gardens. At the end of a magnificent week of scorching sunshine, today’s slightly lower temperature has been most welcome. We can be such a contrary lot where the weather is concerned, craving to be baked and sweltered, but soon needing respite before yearning for the next heatwave.
The little garden is a joy to behold, bursting at the borders with tecnicoloured blooms. I’ve never seen as many bees as this year, which is what it’s all about for me. It took a long time to get going after an exceptionally cold and rainy May, but the plants have forgiven and forgotten and have made up for lost time.
Having had mixed results from new plant varieties I have added this year, it’s been wonderful to see that once again the cosmos, calendula and nasturtiums have done me proud. Seed harvested last year was roughly sown straight into the soil in April and the flowers are thriving, needing very little care. There’s a lesson there, I think.
The light has faded since I started writing this post, and in the darkness the garden has another kind of magic, fairy lights and lanterns picking out the shapes of tiny bats as they flit above, looking for insects or heading back to their roosting places. It’s time for music and wine and thinking up plans for a new day. Have a great weekend!
Welcome to the Beautiful North 
Your flowers are lovely, their colours are very pretty. I love the last photo, Tigger looks really cute 🙂
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Thank you, Eunice. She is such a cutie. 🙂
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Enjoyed that. The blooms are lovely – and I’m with you on the orange.
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Thank.you 🙂
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I love orange flowers!! They are just so happy!! I went out late last night to turn the sprinkler off and the moon was huge and orange from the forest fire smoke here in Canada. Orange is the color of fall and harvest and happiness!!!
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Orange certainly is a glorious and energising colour. The forest fires look terrifying and devastating. I hope you are safe and well.
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Yes so far the fires are all far away. All we are getting is the smoke 😳😳
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Your garden is looking as lovely as ever. I was thinking if there are any orange wild flowers and I don’t think there are many. x
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Thank you very much. That’s an interesting one. I’ll have to find out about orange wild flowers. I have seen orange flowers by roadsides and out in the countryside but they may have seeded from nearby gardens. There are California poppies but I don’t think they count.
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I think I know one. Orange Hawkweed aka Fox 🦊 & Cubs, which looks a bit like an orange dandelion. They grow in gardens too though. X
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How interesting! 🙂 I’ve never heard of it but hope to see some. X
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Your small garden looks lovely and very welcoming! For me, I find it’s so good to sit quietly in our garden and wonder at the beauty of God’s creation! I have some similar flowers in my garden this year. Now you have inspired me to do a late summer blog, well one of these days 🙂
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Thank you, Matthew.
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